Iran calls US Supreme Court ruling on Beirut blast a 'theft'

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran has rejected a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that clears the way for families of victims of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran to collect nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

The state IRNA news agency quoted on Thursday the spokesman of Iran's foreign ministry, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, as saying that "such a verdict is a theft of the assets and properties of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

From the United Nations, Ansari spoke to IRNA and said Wednesday's ruling is "tantamount to a ridicule of justice and law."

The ruling directly affects relatives of victims, including families of the 241 U.S. service members who died in the Beirut bombing.